SoundBar offers decent sound in a small package

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If you don’t have a lot of space but still want to get solid sound from either your desktop or laptop, give Altec Lansing’s SoundBar a listen. The SoundBar is a “bar” that’s 14.7 inches wide, 3.4″ deep and 4.4″ high. Don’t let its size fool you, though, as it includes two 2″ full range drivers, one 2″ passive radiator and uses Altec Lansing’s proprietary SFX technology along with Xdb technology to widen and deepen the sound. What that means to the listener is surprisingly decent sound from a relatively small package.

The SoundBar is designed to sit underneath an LCD monitor, but in my case it slightly missed the mark. While the SoundBar’s height wasn’t an issue, the bottom feet on the SoundBar are in a fixed position and therefore wouldn’t extend another inch to allow for perfect placement.

You can see that it didn’t fit underneath the LCD

Despite that shortcoming, I’ve still been using it for primary audio since it also sports a number of nice features including a volume knob on the front that makes a nice “click” noise when you turn the unit off or on. Also, when it’s on, the SoundBar illuminates a bar above the knob–nice touch. I always find myself suddenly in need of muting the audio, and this traditional knob is perfectly placed for ease of use.

{ad}Another nice feature of the SoundBar is its integrated ports. If you want to listen in private, simply plug your headphones into the headphone jack (located on the side for easy accessibility). If you want to pump something other than your computer through, you can plug in your audio device into the Auxiliary Input jack. I’m actually thinking about using it for my MAME machine or as an amplifier for one of my MP3 players, so it’s not just for computers.

Overall, Altec Lansing has a solid offering that’s pleasant to look at and even better to listen to.